Mick Tucker’s story

I was born and bred in Gawler, and have always lived in the area. When I was a little tacker, my dad had a bike, so they’ve always been around. But it was about the age of 12 that i discovered a real find at a friend’s property…

My first bike

There, covered in cobwebs, rusting away in a shed was a BSA Bantam. It hadn’t been ridden for about 20 years, But over a few weekends, I got it going. And as far as I was concerned, it was my ‘first bike’. I spent hours on that bike mustering sheep and just riding around the property for the sheer joy of it. the passion was born. And I’ve had bikes ever since.

For years, I kept going back to that farm on school holidays and my BSA was always there for me. Then, the second I was old enough to get my license, I bought myself an old Lambretta scooter to ride to high school.

Suzuki in the 1970s

The seventies were definitely the era of the Suzuki. I just got one Suzi after another, from a TS185 right through to the GS750. Every spare second was spent racing with mates, at Rowley Park raceway. Those were the days, sidecars and speedway, it was an amazing time, and quite a few trophies were won. In fact, the 1st night I ever raced, I won 3 out of 3 and that’s when the passion was ignited.

We also competed in lots of scrambles (as Motocross used to be called) and totally got the bug. those golden days, it was all about your mates, the bikes, fun, camping, and track meets all overt he place. I raced from about 1975 to 1980 and it was during that time I started to get a bit of a reputation – but in a good way!

From the back shed to my first bike shop

When I wasn’t on the track, I was in the back shed at home, tinkering with my bikes, trying to get the most out of my machines. And it was working, coz I was winning. I really loved figuring out how to get the absolute best out of a bike and I wouldn’t be content till I achieved that.

My mates started asking me to do up their bikes. And well, you know how it is around here. Word spread fast. I outgrew the shed and got my first official bike shop with a mate, in the backstreets of Salisbury. 18 months later, I had a prang at Speedway, and was out of action for 6 months. One thing led to another and in the end, I closed the business.

To trucks and farming

I got offered a gig driving trucks and a lease on a couple of farms, so I took it. Sheep, a few cattle and cropping. That first bike shop didn’t work out, and that break I took ended up being 16 years, but in all that time, I was never far away from a bike. My dream of owning a bike shop was lying dormant, just waiting for another opportunity.

Smalll shop, bigger shop

In 2008, I took a shop at Willaston. It was a small shop but I had big plans.

My vision was to give local people what they wanted, so they didn’t have to go to Adelaide any more to get a bike. It worked.

The business outgrew the Willlaston shop in a very short time and we moved to our current premises at 485 Main North Road Evanston in July 2010.

Our team

Today, we have 6 staff, and it’s a real family business. My wife Lynda does the books and our son Jack gave up his diesel apprenticeship to come and be our first Motorcycle Mechanic Apprentice. Obviously it’s in the genes!

Tyson, our Service Manager runs the workshop. He’s a fully qualified mechanic with 15 years in the industry, a very strong technical background, and a love for Hondas. Tyson’s been on two wheels since the age of 4 and raced for 15 years, so he understands your passion and has a wealth of experience to share. He was rapt to come and join us coz it was closer to home, and he says he enjoys giving our customers superior service.

Jan is our Spare Parts and Accessories Manager and came to us with over 25 years’ experience. She fell in love with bikes as a kid listening to her granddad’s stories. Jan used to borrow her brother’s bike when he wasn’t looking, raced bikes in the 90s, and is still into Suzukis. She joined us last year, inspired by the ideas I had for the business and wanting to be a part of it.

Chad’s a gem of a motorcycle mechanic and comes in on a casual basis to work his magic on the machines.

Come down and see us

At Mick’s Motorcycles Gawler, we really do live and breathe bikes, so whatever it is you’re looking for, just come on down, or contact us coz we’d love to help you choose the ideal bike for you.

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